SPECIAL REPORT: Supplements for athletes stir serious debate

He's the star quarterback who craves even more glory on Friday nights.

Justin Rodriguez

He's the star quarterback who craves even more glory on Friday nights.

The backup second baseman looking for a few more

at-bats. The power forward trying to keep up on the AAU circuit.

They want an edge, and try a sports supplement. Maybe they get results.

Maybe not.

Or, even worse, the product is laced with steroids or another banned substance. The odds of that happening are greater than most athletes — on any level — might think. According to John Underwood, president and founder of the American Athletic Institute, 18.8 percent of supplements are tainted with steroids or other illegal, potentially dangerous ingredients.

The International Olympic Committee has tested 240 over-the-counter supplements taken from stores in the United States and found that 45 contained varying amounts of anabolic androgenic steroids.

"These supplements are dangerous as hell, and nobody is doing anything about it," said Underwood, also the chemical health consultant for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. "You might think you are taking a magic pill, but a lot of this stuff is dangerous. The industry needs to be regulated, but nobody wants to take it over. It's totally in la-la land and I don't think any parent really knows how safe or unsafe what their kid is taking."

Over-the-counter sports supplements, available everywhere from GNC to Walmart to the local gym, are a multi-billion dollar industry. However, considered a dietary supplement, they do not require approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before they hit the market.

Some concoctions contain variable amounts of dangerous ingredients — or even ingredients not listed on the label.

The sports supplement industry has gained the attention of politicians.

"It's very important that Americans know exactly what is in the supplements they put in their bodies," said Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley. "Congress should take a look at what regulations would be helpful for the safety and health of the American people. While there isn't currently legislation moving, I will continue to pay close attention to the issue."

Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, proposed legislation in February that would regulate dietary supplements that might pose safety risks unknown to consumers. The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA) would require manufacturers of dietary supplements to register with the FDA to disclose ingredients. The bill would also give the FDA recall authority.

"All we're saying is, list the ingredients, OK?," McCain told the Associated Press. "And register so people know what they're taking into their bodies. It's not really outrageous when you think about it."

McCain told the AP his bill would protect all athletes who turn to supplements to increase performance. However, McCain no longer supports the bill. He will now team with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, on revised legislation that would provide safety within the industry, but without the intensive regulatory intervention McCain initially proposed.

Hatch, a vocal booster of the supplement industry, asked McCain to withdraw his bill. McCain's press secretary, Brooke Buchanan, and her counterpart in Hatch's office, Antonia Ferrier, declined several requests for comment made by the Times Herald-Record.

According to a report in U.S. News & World Report, nutritional supplement companies gave out $10.9 million to candidates, parties and political action committees from 1995 to 2000. Hatch, whose state is one of the largest producers of supplements, pocketed $107,100, the highest of any recipient.

While politicians in Washington, D.C., discuss — for potentially years — how to keep the industry safe, here, people fret about supplements' potential dangers.

"I think more than (18.8 percent) of supplements might be tainted," said trainer Rick Scarpulla, who runs Ultimate Advantage training facility in Bloomingburg. "That number might be conservative. There are a lot of substances produced in other countries and shipped to the U.S. which are vulnerable for illegal substances. A lot of them have been tested and, sometimes, a supplement that claims to be clean isn't."

Scarpulla, who has worked with high school, college and pro athletes for 20 years, said athletes — at any level — don't need supplements to make gains. Just proper weight and speed training, a low-fat, balanced diet and protein shakes to add lean muscle.

"I just have all my athletes take Muscle Milk'' protein shakes, Scarpulla said. "They always come out with these supplements du jour, with these catch phrases, but they do nothing for your body. "

Dave Czesniuk, director of operations for the Center for Sport in Society in Boston, thinks supplements have boomed because of how competitive youth, club and high school sports have become.

"Unfortunately, this is part of the culture of taking all the fun out of sports. It's now like a vocation," Czesniuk said. "I think supplements can lead to steroid use. You get this spark in your mind that you can get even bigger, faster, stronger. Maybe you use both, but I don't think kids should be using anything if they are under 18."